Hockey East All-Stars To Face Team USA This Weekend
December 07, 2005 | Women's Hockey
Dec. 7, 2005
Chestnut Hill, Mass. - This Sunday, Dec. 11, four of Boston College's women ice hockey players will play in the first-ever Women's Hockey East "All-Star" game at UNH's Whittemore Center against Team USA in their Hilton Family Skate to 2006 Tour. The four members of BC's 2005-06 squad that were chosen were Deborah Spillane, Becky Zavisza, and Sarah Feldman. The tour is designed to pit Team USA against elite-level competition in preparation for the 2006 Winter Olympics.
There will be 23 student-athletes representing the eight teams of the Hockey East. Forward line combinations will be one of the most interesting aspects of the game, as the best talents from different teams will get the opportunity to play together. Boston College's first line of Feldman, Spillane and Zavisza will likely remain together for the game, but the remaining lines will offer unique mixes.
Zavisza was one of five first-year players selected to the team. Zavisza is now first in goals scored with 10 for the Eagles, and second only to Spillane (16) on the team for total points. Zavisza was named Hockey East Rookie of the Month for November and has been named to the Hockey honor roll four times. Taverna, another freshman, was selected as an alternate and can play forward or defense and will take the place of any player who is unable to compete in the game for any reason. Taverna is tied for third on the team in points (11) with Feldman.
Spillane and Feldman are the two sophomores representing the Eagles. Spillane is the Eagle's leading scorer so far this season with 16 points - seven goals and nine assists, and has already been named Hockey East Player of the Week this season as well as Hockey East Player of the Month for October. Feldman is tied second on the team with 11 points- seven goals and four assists.
The Eagles head coach Tom Mutch will be one of the assistants for the All-Stars under head coach Heather Linstad of Connecticut. Mutch was one of Ben Smith's assistants on the U.S Women's Olympic Team that won gold in the 1998 Olympics.
Playing for the U.S. Olympic Team will be the Eagle's assistant coach Katie King. King has been an assistant coach at Boston College for the last two seasons.
The puck drops on Dec. 11 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets will be available at the Whittemore Center box office, and Comcast's CN8 will televise the game live throughout New England.
